


This Would Be Paradise

by mysticmikalla



Series: This Would Be Paradise [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Fluff, Slow Burn, mystic messenger fanfic, mystic messenger scenarios
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15332367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticmikalla/pseuds/mysticmikalla
Summary: If the only place he can see you is in his dreams, Saeyoung will try to sleep forever.





	1. "I Woke Up In a Strange, Dreamy World"

Saeyoung first dreamed of her during an unexpected and short nap.

It was no secret that the hacker often went days without so much as a snooze, the dark circles under his eyes revealed as much. But he had reached his limit; he was at the point of exhaustion where he physically could not hold his eyelids open anymore, the looming weight of his responsibilities meaningless. The sitting position was rather uncomfortable and unsuited for a proper slumber, but out of all the improper thing in his life, his sleeping habits were far from being top priority.

His yawns became more frequent, and each blink got longer than the last, his eyelids lingering shut for a moment, two moments too long, until they refused to open at all. And before he knew it, the redhead succumbed to sleep.

But instead of the usual darkness of his subconscious, Saeyoung was greeted by light.

His vision was foggy when he first opened his eyes, and it was bright. Too bright. He felt the need to blink a few times in order to adjust to the blinding lights of the room he woke up in. The walls were white, and after taking a glance around, he found the small room to be empty if not for the bed he was lying on and light mint curtains that did a poor job of blocking the luminosity from outside. On the opposite side of the room, a wooden door was open, inviting him to explore the rest of the place.

Although Saeyoung didn’t dream much, he could recognize this as a one. The lack of computer screens with endless numbers on them and the tranquility of the atmosphere told him as much. It was also unusually quiet; not birds nor cars sounded from outside, and even if he were isolated somewhere far away from any life form, there had to be a tick of a clock, the whispering of the wind, a crawling of a bug, something to ripple sound waves through the air. But there was nothing.

He hummed, a small test to see whether or not he was even able to make a sound. His deeper voice contrasted the peaceful vibe of the place, and it felt almost wrong to disturb such tranquility.

Saeyoung didn’t remember falling asleep, and this all seemed much more lucid than his average dream. He could feel the sun that shimmered in through the window on his skin, and he could count the steady beat of his heart if he focused. Pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet, the man was amazed at how real the soft fabric of the sheets felt under his skin.

“I must have been really tired.” He mumbled to himself, reluctantly exiting the room and stepping out into a hallway. It seemed like an ordinary home; a bathroom to the right, a small, open living room to the left and another room at the other end of the hallway. Pieces of furniture decorated the entire room, except the walls. Those were all white.

He glanced down at his hands, taking in how every detail and scar he had was still there, as vivid as if he were awake. Maybe he was awake? Perhaps he had been drugged and brought here, isolated from society with no electronics he could hack or people he could burden.

Maybe this was a prison, and asylum?

Perhaps he-

 _CLANG_.

The redhead jumped at the abrupt noise coming from one of the rooms, every muscle instinctively tensing.

“Shit.” He heard a woman’s voice from the other end of the hallway. Before Saeyoung could react, out popped the figure of a girl, her hair up in a bun and her apron covered in red. She wiped her hands on the side of the apron, walking in his direction while glancing down at the mess on her. But when she spotted him, the girl froze in place.

Not knowing what to do or say, both Saeyoung and the brunette just stared at each other, her mouth agape and his eyes wide in alarm.

“Who-”

“Who are you?” She demanded, taking a tentative step backwards at the sight of the mysterious man.

“Who are you?”

“I asked first.” She pointed out.

“I asked second.”

The girl scoffed, folding her arms over her dirtied-up chest, “This is my house, I have the right to know first. How did you get in here?”

“ _Your_ house?” Saeyoung lifted an eyebrow. She didn’t look to be much older than him, he noted, taking in the details her short frame and young face. He found it hard to believe that this place could be owned by someone who looked fresh out of high school.

“Yes,” she said, “How did you get in here?”

“I just…” He looked around, taking in the details of what she claimed was her’s. This seemed too empty and lifeless to be someone’s actual home, “I don’t know. I was in my chair in front of my computer just a minute ago.”

Although his sentence should have sounded absurd, a poor attempt to explain why he was in someone else’s home, the girl seemed to be unquestioning of his words.

“You seem so... real.” She commented, eyeing closely up and down, making him feel exposed.

He shuffled awkwardly on his feet, “Real?”

“You don’t feel like everything else here.” She said, gesturing around the room. And Saeyoung understood what she meant; the peaceful atmosphere he had taken note of before was almost too peaceful, too dreamy. But not her. She felt...normal, _real_.

“What is this place?” Wondering out loud, he examined her more carefully. He once read that you cannot dream about someone you have never met before, but he couldn’t recall ever seeing her.

Perhaps she had been a face lost in the crowd, a passerby on the street or a clerk at a store, but Saeyoung was positive they had never met.

“A dream.”

“It doesn’t feel like a dream,” stated Saeyoung, “Not any I’ve had.”

She nodded along his words, “Not any I’ve had, either. But ever since I started coming here, this is the only type of dream I seem to be having.

“So you mean this isn’t your first time here?”

“Nope,” she mustered the courage to get close and walk past him, heading towards the bathroom, “I’ve been coming here a while, it’s always the same. I thought it was just a recurring dream or something, but it feels too...”

“Real?”

“Yes.” she breathed, smiling, “Real.”

Saeyoung squeezed his eye shut, “I must have had too much sugar before falling asleep.”

This earned a laugh from her, “Maybe sugar triggers it, although I don’t recall having too much of it before I went to bed.”

He leaned against the door frame, watching the girl attempt to clean herself up with the running water from the sink, wiping some smudges of red from her arms and chest.

“What happened?” He nodded towards the dirty apron.

“Just an accident involving pasta and my poor cooking skills.” The girl said, scrunching up her nose.

“I didn’t know you cook taste things in dreams.” Saeyoung noted.

“Guess this is no ordinary dream.” The brunette shrugged, turning off the water and drying herself with a towel.

“Guess this is no ordinary dream.” He repeated, moving aside so she could walk past him again, heading towards the living room. “How do I even know you aren’t like, an NPC?”

“An NPC?” She raised an eyebrow in amusement at his comment, prompting him to go on.

“You know...Like in video games that have characters programmed to keep you entertained.” The redhead explained, following the girl and settling on the couch across from her.

“I know what an NPC is,” she laughed, “You think I’m here to entertain you?”

“You might be. It is my dream, after all.”

She scoffed, “ _Your_ dream? You’re the one who just randomly showed up here. Maybe you’re the NPC programmed to entertain me.”

“I’m programmed to do a lot of things,” he mused, “But I’m not too sure about my skills as an entertainer.”

“Then if you aren’t here to entertain me, why are you here?” 

“I woke up here, just like you. Your guess is as good as mine.”

She was unsure of what to say or what to do, the newness of having someone so casually like this still making the girl uneasy. He didn’t speak, either, and there was a long silence between them before she spoke again.

“Do you think you’ll come here again?” She asked shyly, picking at the skin around her nails.

“Do you want me to? I told you, I’m not programmed as an entertainer.” He joked, watching the corner of her lips twitch up in a smile.

“It gets a little dull here sometimes, this is the most excitement I’ve had in months.” Saeyoung studied her expression, noting that, much like himself, every scar and detail of her face was perfectly captured. He could make out her pores and the curve of her eyelash as if she were really standing before him.

This was no ordinary dream, indeed.

“I’m not really sure how to,” he admitted, puffing air from his cheeks, “Maybe I just stumbled into your dream by mistake.”

“So you admit its my dream?” There was a hint of challenge in her voice.

He raised both hands in mocked surrender, “Yes, it is your dream. I’m just a visitor.”

“You are,” she agreed with a nod, “But NPC or not...I hope you do stumble in here to entertain me again."

“Why do you keep coming here, anyway?” He wondered, “If its as dull as you say, why not dream of something else?”

The girl gave him a shrug, “I can’t help it. I keep waking up here ever since I first did so a couple of years ago.”

“Years?!” He gasped, surprised at how long she claimed to be here. The house or whatever this place was, was serene and nice, but the thought of coming here every night for years made Saeyoung feel queasy. He hoped it wouldn’t be the case for him. Even though he didn’t quite believe that this was anything other than your average lucid dream, the man hoped this was a one-time thing.

“Yeah,” nodding, she went on, “But I like it here, despite getting a bit boring at time. It’s peaceful, gives me some time to think. And isn’t that what dreams are supposed to do?”

It was him who shrugged now, “I don’t dream too often.”

The deep quiet of the strange place settled once more, with only her yawn to break the silence. “It’s almost time to go.” 

“To go?”

“To wake up.”

He shot her a questioning look, “How do you know?”

“It’s kind of funny, actually. When you get sleepy here, it means your body is ready to wake up there. In the real world.” She explained, “I’ve already been here for a while, I think it's almost time to go.”

“So while you are asleep here…”

“You’re awake there,” the girl finished his sentence, “So I should get going soon. Will you visit me again?”

He was reluctant to answer, to make a promise he couldn’t keep. In all his honesty, Saeyoung had no idea how he ended up there, and he wasn’t sure he could do it again. It had been just a normal slumber, a nap he took that somehow landed him here, along with a girl who may or may not even be real in the first place. Maybe this was his brain’s way of hinted at his loneliness. But the brunette girl eyed him with such hope in her eyes, he felt almost guilty denying her.

“Yes.” A grin spread across her face, and she stood up, heading towards one of the rooms.

“Okay. Well,” she awkwardly stood by the door, “Good night. Or rather, good morning.”

“Good morning,” he let out a laugh, and before she completely disappeared into the room, Saeyoung called, “Hey, wait!”

“Yeah?” She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“What’s your name?”

“Uhm,” she hesitated, before answering, “You can call me MC.”

“MC,” he repeated to himself, feeling the syllables of her name on is tongue, “I’m Lu-”

But instead of telling her the name he hid behind, the name everyone knew him as, the fake identity had chosen for himself all those years ago, the man decided there was no harm in telling his real name to a girl in his dreams, “I’m Saeyoung.”

“Nice to meet you, Saeyoung.” She smiled, and just like that, she disappeared into her room.

The drowsiness MC was talking about overcame him then, and if she were right about it, it was nearly time for him to wake up, too. He headed back to the room he had first woken up in, making a futile attempt to block the light from outside by closing the curtains. But the light didn’t matter; the wave of tiredness washed over him so strongly, the light ended up not being a problem when he lied down, closing his eyes and letting the darkness overcome him again.

And when he opened his eyes, Saeyoung was awake.


	2. "What Is Paradise To You?"

“You’re back.”

You were sitting on the couch when he came out of the bedroom and into the small area of the living room. His steps were slow and amber eyes cautious when they met yours. You blinked a few times at the sight of the scandalously red hair and eccentric glasses he wore, his hands buried in the pockets of the same black and yellow hoodie he had worn before.

Your surprise matched his own; Saeyoung did not expect to be back either. Although he woke up with full memory of everything that happened, almost as if it  _ had  _ happened, he couldn’t help but feel that his dream escapade had been a one time thing, an insanely lucid dream his mind had conjured in its state of exhaustion.

_ Ah, yes _ . A lucid dream,  _ that’s  _ what it had been. Nothing more, nothing less, and the hacker wanted to leave it at that. Saeyoung almost felt a bit ridiculous, nearly letting the brunette girl convince him that she were real, that two minds had connected through a dream. It was impossible, he scoffed, scientifically impossible. His mind was the only place that was entirely his own-there was no way anybody could invade it.

_ Right _ ?

Saeyoung hadn’t even planned on sleeping like that again. As the agency’s demands piled up by the minute, the overworked hacker doubted he could get even a minute’s rest, much less fall into a slumber deep enough to dream. The girl he had dreamt about was nothing but a collection of neurons his mind chose to entertain him with for the night.

None of it had been real; not the house with the strangely white walls nor the promise he made to be back.

And, although he told himself that, the nagging feeling of guilt stayed with him all throughout the next few days he remained awake. You had looked happy, hopeful even, when he promised he would try and see you again. And despite him dismissing it as ridiculous, if there were even the slightest percent of a chance that you were actually real, Saeyoung would feel responsible if you were let down.

It had been ages since someone had looked so happy to see him, and he was in no position to pass it up, real or not.

So he made up his mind to at least try and dream about the place, dream about  _ you  _ again, no matter how skeptical he was about the whole thing.

And it was for science, he told himself as he plopped down on the beat-up sofa. How revolutionary would it be if he were to discover a way to connect people through dreams? How could he  _ possibly  _ deny science such a breakthrough?

Saeyoung Choi, the discoverer of dream hacking. Now  _ that  _ didn’t sound too bad.

Saeyoung wasn’t as tired as he had previously been, but he welcomed the chance to shut his eyes and rest. It didn’t take him long to drift off, images of your eyes and brunette hair filling his mind as he fell into the strange and unfamiliar world of his subconscious.

“You seem surprised,” he replied, taking a seat in the couch opposite from yours, facing you. He tried-and failed, to hide his evident awe at seeing you again, wearing the same blue blouse and white skirt you had before, only this time you weren’t covered in red tomato sauce. That one freckle on your cheek was still there, as was every detail he had taken in the short time he had been with you. The only change was your hair. It was loose instead of tied up in a bun, your messy chocolate locks cascading over your shoulders.

And the house, this  _ place  _ ...It was the same absolute silence, the same two blue couches, the same white walls. Everything was the same, from the tone of your voice to the color of your hair. If this was a recurring dream, his mind sure was a powerful thing.

“I thought you might be back, but I gave up after the first few days.” You said, setting down the book you had been reading focus on him. You wondered if the look on your face was as priceless as his the first few times you came here, taking in the strange beauty of this place.

He placed a hand on top of his heart in mocked offense, “So you gave up on me after just two days? Honestly, I’m hurt.”

“I’m sorry about your feelings,” you offered him an amused smile, “I promise to be eagerly waiting for you next time.”

“Next time?” He raised an eyebrow, “How do you know there will be a next time? I’m a very busy man, you know.”

“Everyone has to sleep  _ some  _ time, so you can come here and entertain me once you do.”

He laughed, “Sleep is a rarity for people like me.”

“‘’People like you?’” You echoed, “What is someone like you?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I’m a secret agent that works for an underground agency, uncovering the dirtiest secrets of society?” The hint  of challenge in his voice made you study him closer, unsure of what to make of his expression. Was he being sarcastic?

You decided to write it off as so, shifting in your seat so you were sitting cross-legged.

“Well, _ Mr. Secret Agent,  _ you managed to come here twice in a week already, so it doesn’t sound like it’s that rare. I’ll trust that you’ll come back if you say you will.”

“So you’re going to trust a stranger’s words that easily?”

“You’re not a stranger, you’re  _ you _ ,” you pointed out, “And you already kept your word once, so I trust you.”

“Trust me? But you don’t even know me,” he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. How could someone be so naive? Saeyoung thought back to all the times he had misplaced his trust and what it had cost him. To the hacker, trust wasn’t something he took for granted, and he disliked people who did, writing them off as naive or just stupid. “I might be dangerous for all you know.”

You paused. Maybe he struck a chord with you.

But you just burst out laughing instead.

“What are you even saying?” You began, “Geez, you sound like you have the world’s secrets on your back, I’m even starting to believe the whole  _ ‘I’m a secret agent’ _ thing. There isn’t really anything to lose by trusting you, is there? Even if you turn out to be a complete psycho, none of this is real. The worst that could happen by me taking your word right now is being a little let down, nothing more. Nothing has to be that serious here. It’s just a dream. It isn’t real.”

He pondered over your words, beginning to feel a bit ridiculous over getting as defensive as he had. It was an old habit of his, to push people away, to warn them not to trust him and to not get too close. His entire life was proof of the dangers in society’s lies and secrets, and the hacker couldn’t help but feel suspicious of people who thought differently.

He didn’t think himself to not be trustworthy; he could die with someone’s secrets if they asked, but the way you had looked at him without an ounce of doubt in those eyes of yours was…

Foreign. And Saeyoung couldn’t yet decide if he liked it or not.

“You’re right,” he deflated, feeling the air exit his lungs so vividly that for a moment, he had forgotten it was what it was-just a dream, “I’m sorry I got so defensive back there, just an old habit.”

“This is the place habits come to die.”

“It’ll be hard killing this one,” Saeyoung assured, “But still, you shouldn’t go around trusting strangers that easily in real life, in the conscious world. You never know, you might end up getting mixed up with a dangerous hacker and a shady charity organization.”

You let out a laugh, “That would never happen. I would never trust anyone in my home like this in real life. That’s kind of the beauty of this place; you can do anything and everything you’ve always wanted to do and just wake up the next day with no consequences whatsoever. It’s a nightmare at worst and paradise at best.”

“Paradise at best?” He was skeptical, lifting an eyebrow, “So, tell me, how exactly can this place be paradise? It seems like just a house to me.”

It was just a house, at first glance. But in a normal home, there would be paintings decorating the walls, photographs of loved ones to make the rooms more welcoming, a big table to have guests over; and perhaps even a pet to leisurely stretch by your feet.

There was none of that here.

If you had to explain it to someone from your conscious world, they might even think of this as a nightmare; being stuck in a house with nothing but white walls, uncannily similar to an insane asylum. With not a sound to be heard or a soul to come by, it could easily give any outsiders the impression of excruciating loneliness that could drive people mad.

But that’s what they were;  _ outsiders _ . They could never understand what this place meant to you, and that in itself was an extraordinary feeling, a feeling you couldn’t deny nor explain. It was a world of your own, somewhere only you knew of. You could do or not do whatever you pleased. It was another universe, a peaceful one, and nobody would ever know about it.

Well, at least that was true a few days ago, before  _ he  _ showed up, whoever he was.

“I guess it’s a place I can escape to,” you told him, picking at the skin around your nails, “I can just do whatever I want, or do nothing at all, and nobody will ever know. Nobody will never know about the mistakes I made while cooking or even this conversation. It’s scary but kind of cool all at once.”

“And that’s paradise to you?” He inquired, and when you nodded, he went on, “Having nobody ever know what you do isn’t paradise, trust me. It’s quite the opposite.”

“It sounds a lot better than having everyone question everything you do all the time. At least you can be yourself when you’re alone.” You replied, taking note of how defensive he got once again. Maybe this was a touchy subject for the redhead. “What’s paradise to you, Saeyoung?”

He blinked at you, a momentary shock at hearing that name being addressed to him so casually rendering him speechless. The name he had abandoned felt almost like an bad omen, a curse; all those who had come to know it suffered, had tragedy befall upon them. The abuse of his brother, the paranoia of his own mother, even the suicide of his dear friend and tremendous sorrow that plagued her fiance, they  _ had  _ to be linked to him, to the name given to him at his tragic birth.

It was no coincidence that the tide of unfortunate incidents stopped once he threw his old name away.

So, what  _ was  _ paradise to him?

Saeyoung had the answer on the tip of his tongue. A vivid image of a head of red hair that matched his own, smiling next to him without fear or sadness sent a pang of longing to settle in the pit of his stomach. Paradise was something so out of his reach, he couldn’t get himself to utter the words aloud.

So he didn’t.

“A beach in Thailand,” he leaned back on the sofa, “Hot weather, beautiful water, great food…”

You frowned, unconvinced and unsatisfied at his answer, “But paradise is supposed to be something, I don’t know... _ unworldly _ . You can find beaches like that anywhere in the world. There has to be something more to your paradise than that.”

“What?” He laughed, “Everyone thinks of beautiful beaches when they think of paradise.”

“But you don’t seem like everyone,” you tilted your head, “You seem a lot more interesting than that.”

“You’re giving someone you just met too much credit, MC,” he scratched the back of his head, “But if I  _ have  _ to think of something else...It would be a place with no computers.”

“Do you not like computers?”

“Hate them.” The relentless glow of the black and green screen which made his eyes burn and his mind tire flashed through his mind, “Really hate them.”

“What about phones?”

“They’re just tiny, more persistent computers that can follow you around,” he laughed a breathy laugh, “So, no phones, either.”

“Someone my age who doesn’t like computers or phones…” You shook your head, “You’re weird, Saeyoung.”

“You’re not the first one to tell me that, MC.”

Smiling, you said, “Well, there are no computers or phones here. So what do you know, this plain and boring house could be your paradise, after all.”

_ This could be paradise, huh?  _ He thought this place was a little underwhelming to be given such a title as  _ paradise _ , but for now, as long as there was no Vanderwood or agency on his ass, he could settle.

Saeyoung pushed himself up from the couch, examining the shelves and empty drawers, pacing around the room and taking in its dull details once more. It was exactly the same as it had been the first time; silent, clean, and bland. Not a particle of dust reflecting in the light that shimmered through the window or a smudge of dirt on the walls.

“This definitely doesn’t feel like a dream,” he reminded himself again, “But if it truly is one, I wonder if we can change things, make them happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“As far as lucid dreams go, it's up to you what happens in them. It  _ is _ your mind, after all.”

“Let me guess, you want to change all of this-” gesturing around the room, you added-“To a beach in Thailand?”

“Wouldn’t be so bad.”

Chuckling, you said, “It’s only your second time here and you’re already bored?” When he didn’t reply, you added, “And besides, it’s not like I haven’t tried changing anything before.”

“And it never worked?”

“Never,” you sighed, recalling all the times you attempted to shift this place into a breathtaking scenario or give yourself wings to fly over them, “It's not like I'm particularly entertained by this setup, either.”

“I thought this was paradise to you?” He mocked with a snicker.

You stuck out your tongue at him in response, “I wouldn’t mind a bit of change once in a while, is all. There is only so much I can do here.”

“What would you like to do, if you could?”

What  _ wouldn’t  _ you like to do, would be the shorter answer. From mundane things like learning how to draw or cook, to skydiving, visiting the many wonders of the world or even flying. It was a dream after all, wasn’t it? Anything was possible.  _ Everything  _ was possible.

“Everything. I want to do everything.”

“Be a bit more specific, MC,” he said, “We can’t even change the colors of the wall yet. Baby steps.”

“Oh,” you looked down at your feet, “Then..I want to cook. I want to cook a really good meal.”

He seemed to be puzzled at your answer, “Just cook?”

“Yeah,” you shied, suddenly embarrassed at how silly your wishes were compared to his of visiting amazing beaches around the world,  “I never really have time to learn at home, so I thought...Ah, nevermind, it’s dumb. Let’s think of something more exciting.”

“No, no, no,” he stuttered, “Cooking is perfect, actually. What could be more exciting than actually tasting amazing foods in your dreams?”

Saeyoung took note at how your eyes shone with enthusiasm. “Really?”

“Really! Eating without worrying about my health, are you kidding, MC?” He gave you such a sincere smile that you felt yourself blush at the sight of it, “Now  _ that’s  _ my true paradise.”

You bit back a smile, “I’m not sure how amazing the flavors I make can taste, but can we really try it? Cooking, I mean. You won’t be bored?”

“I won’t be bored,” he assured you with a nod, a glint of mischief in his eye, “Let’s cook.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this will pick up soon!!  
> Thank you for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first series on here! I've had this idea marinating in my mind for a while, so I am excited to finally share it with everyone!
> 
> The prologue was a bit slow, but I promise it picks up soon! And also, the story will be 2nd POV, the prologue is the only one I decided to do in 3rd!


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